I just roasted a small batch of my french roast blend, I call it Night, I know very clever, what can I say. After many tries and a bundle of cuppings I had a revelation about the blend, I have been getting some great caramel or butterscotch notes out of the Organic Sumatra Gayoland when I roasted to a dark Viennese, roughly 445-450 degrees on the thermo-probe. So I thought that since the Night blend is made up of a percentage of the Sumatran that if I did a post roast blend and used the slightly lighter caramel-y Sumatran that the blend would benefit. So as I sit here with the cup, I am pleasantly surprised. We have all the normal French roast characteristics, deep rich and bittersweet, however there is a hint of caramel sweetness coming through that really compliments the chocolaty french Peruvian roast ( still roasted to about 460-465 degree's on the thermo-probe). It works well together, I feel like it is the Whitman's Sampler of a blend, I find a very fruity aroma and even hints of fruit in the cup but it turns to a sweet caramel and bittersweet chocolate classic french taste in the finish. Not bad.
